Fact check: Ted Nugent did not write viral post criticizing athletes for kneeling
The claim: Ted Nugent wrote viral 'Take a knee' commentary on national anthem demonstrations
A commentary in 2016 condemning athletes who knelt in protest during the national anthem has been falsely attributed to musician Ted Nugent for years. Despite corrections and fact checks, the misattributed commentary continues to spread online.
“Take a knee. … I don't think I've ever read anything more powerful than this piece. It was written by Ted Nugent,” begins a Facebook post Thursday by Therese Black Long that went viral.
The piece describes famous American battle scenes and challenges athletes kneeling in protest against police brutality.
“There are a lot of places to take a knee where Americans have given their Lives all over the world. When you use the banner under which they fought As a source for your displeasure, you dishonor the memories of those who Bled for the very freedoms you have,” the piece says. “Take your cleats and socks off to get a real Experience.”
Nugent says commentary is not his
Nugent is an American rock musician, member of the NRA's board of directors and famous conservative known for his outlandish political comments. He called the survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, “poor, mushy brained children” who “have no soul” in 2018.
Nugent posted "Take a knee" on Facebook on Sept. 24, 2017, and attributed the commentary to Stanislaus Drew. Nugent’s post received 152,000 reactions, 14,000 comments and 118,000 shares.
"Mr. Nugent is not the author of the piece,” Nugent’s assistant Linda Peterson told USA TODAY.
The commentary was written by a man from Florida
The piece was published on the Christian Index website Sept. 28, 2017, and attributed to Drew. Christian Index said Drew wrote the piece in 2016, in response to National Football League player Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest against police brutality.
“Stanislaus ‘Stan’ Drew originally wrote this post last year – when he was a member of Palm Springs Baptist Church in Palm Springs, FL – after San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick first began his protests during the National Anthem. Stan currently lives in Crescent City, FL,” the Christian Index said at the bottom of the page.
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Website Black Republican Blog noted the social media attention to Drew’s “Take a knee” in a blog post titled “‘Take a Knee’ by Florida author takes Internet by storm” published Sept. 28, 2017. Black Republican Blog highlighted the increased attention Drew's commentary received after Nugent shared it on Facebook.
Piece misattributed for years
This is not the first time the piece has been mistakenly attributed to Nugent. On July 19, 2018, Facebook user Duane Allen Fan Page posted the same “Take a Knee” commentary, falsely attributing it to Nugent.
Duane Allen Fan Page later edited the post: "I apologize to Stanislaus Drew ... when I got this piece of writing, within the piece, it was credited to Ted Nugent as the writer. ... I have learned this was a mistake, and I posted it with the mistake in it. ... I have now corrected it, however, I have spoken to the writer, Stanislaus Drew, and he asked me not the delete it.”
This misattribution was fact checked by Truth or Fiction on Sept. 29, 2017, yet it still circulates.
Long did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
After publication of this story, USA TODAY spoke with Drew. He confirmed that he wrote the commentary. He said Nugent updated the Facebook post to give him credit after posting the commentary without attribution. The piece had already been widely shared and misattributed to Nugent.
Our rating: False
We rate the claim that the widely shared “Take a Knee” commentary on national anthem demonstrations was written by Ted Nugent as FALSE because it is not supported by our research. Although Nugent shared the commentary on Facebook in 2017, the text was written by Stanislaus Drew of Florida. The misattributed post has been circulating on Facebook since 2017.
Our fact check sources:
USA TODAY: "Ted Nugent slams 'mushy brained' Parkland survivors: 'They have no soul' "
For the Win: "A reminder of what Colin Kaepernick actually said, and a timeline of his actions"
Black Republican Blog: "'Take a Knee' by Florida author takes Internet by storm"
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Ted Nugent did not write viral post criticizing kneeling
